Lorri AngellozThe University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) marked a major milestone with the grand opening of 4MLK, the newest anchor of the University of Maryland BioPark — and a bold symbol of innovation, inclusion, and investment in West Baltimore.
“We’ve set the table for Baltimore’s future,” said UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, during the Jan. 15 celebration. “I think of this as a table,” Jarrell continued, describing how community stakeholders, private companies, and government agencies have come together to create a hub of innovation in West Baltimore. “And this BioPark is a good example of another plate at the table to help make Baltimore great.”
Located at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and West Baltimore Street, 4MLK is an eight-story, 250,000-square-foot facility that blends flexible lab and office space with civic-minded design and programming. Developed by Wexford Science & Technology, the building is not only a home for startups and scientists, but also a welcoming space for neighbors, students, and innovators of all kinds.
Wexford, now headquartered at 4MLK, has built similar projects across the country. But for chief executive officer Ted Russell, 4MLK is especially meaningful. “Though Wexford is now known as a national development company, our roots are based here in Baltimore, and they run deep — specifically for myself, born and raised here in Baltimore City, which is why 4MLK is so important to us and to me.”
4MLK is the latest expression of UMB’s vision for an inclusive innovation ecosystem that brings academic discovery to life in real-world settings. Already, the building houses UMB startup Irazú Oncology, EPOCH Epigenetics, and the Emerging Technology Center Baltimore within Wexford’s Connect Labs — plug-and-play labs designed to nurture the next generation of biotech breakthroughs.
A standout feature is the Edward and Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering and Medicine, occupying the building’s fourth floor. Supported by a $10 million joint gift from Edward and Jennifer St. John and their foundation, the center creates a collaborative research hub bridging the University of Maryland School of Medicine at UMB and the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park.
A Place for Connection
From the beginning, 4MLK was envisioned as more than just a research building. Its very name — a play on “For MLK” — reflects its purpose as a space for everyone. The building includes a civic lounge, public plaza, and community-oriented gathering areas that make it as much a neighborhood hub as it is a center for science.
“The civic lounge, flexible lab space, and public plaza demonstrate that this building isn’t just for researchers and entrepreneurs — it’s a place for connection, creativity, and community,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott. “It’s going to continue to build Baltimore’s reputation as a destination for the very best minds in our country to come and resource work and fall in love with not just crab cakes, but everything that is Charm City.”
Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller underscored the significance of public-private partnerships in making projects like 4MLK possible. “Progress like this doesn’t happen on its own,” she said before noting that the partnership between public and private sectors, including the Maryland Department of Commerce, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, Advantage Maryland, and the Baltimore Development Corporation, made the development of 4MLK possible.
“When the state’s largest city thrives, Maryland succeeds,” she said.
Continued Commitment
James L. Hughes, MBA, chief enterprise and economic development officer and senior vice president at UMB and president of the BioPark, made clear that the ceremony represented more than just the celebration of a new building: It also was a declaration of continued commitment to West Baltimore. “This is community space,” he said when describing 4MLK, “a comfortable place where people from all walks of life, all different backgrounds will come together, interact, and be a really convening place for the biotech community, but also for the community in general.”
UMB’s Office of Community Engagement, located just blocks away, played a vital role in shaping the project with community input in mind. “4MLK is such a beautiful building that I recently joked with my colleagues that UMB must have been ‘showing off’ when they constructed it,” said Brian Sturdivant, MSW, director of strategic initiatives and community partnerships. As the ribbon dropped and a live band played in the sunlit lobby, the energy was palpable — a celebration not just of a building, but of what it represents: a place where community meets research, and where innovation drives inclusive growth.
